Plaintiff, Ruth McDougal, appeals from an order quashing an execution and garnishment issued on a judgment entered in the Circuit Court of Butler County, Missouri, which “adopted and made the judgment of this court” two prior judgments entered in divorce actions in the Chancery Court of Clay County, Arkansas. In Case No. 3051 in said Chancery Court (hereinafter referred to as the first Arkansas case), the trial chancellor on November 28, 1942, dismissed the complaint of Oral J. McDou-gal and, on the cross-bill of Ruth McDou-gal, granted a decree of divorce to the wife, gave her care and custody of two minor children, directed the husband to pay attorneys’ fees and $100 per month “for the support of herself and said children,” and adjudged that the wife “is entitled to and is * * * the owner of one-third of (Oral’s) personal property absolutely and wheresoever situated including the personal property bequeathed to (Oral) under * * * the will of W. B. A. Barnes, de-
ceased,” who died in Butler County, Missouri, on March 17, 1941. Upon appeal, the Supreme Court of Arkansas found that Oral “had been guilty of conduct which fully sustained the .* * * decree of divorce to the wife” but, “because of her condonation of her husband’s conduct,” that portion of the decree granting a divorce to Ruth and awarding her one-third of Oral’s personal property was reversed. However, Oral was “directed to contribute $100 per month to the support of his wife and children.” McDougal v. McDougal,
By the judgment entered in the instant Missouri case on December 29, 1945 (hereinafter referred to as the Missouri judgment), from which no appeal was tak
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en, the judgments in both Arkansas cases were “adopted and made the judgment of this (Circuit) Court (of Butler County) as fully as if originally founded herein.” By execution and garnishment in the Missouri case during April, 1951,' plaintiff (Ruth) sought to reach and obtain one-third of Oral’s “proportionate interest” of
%j
in the residuary trust estate of W. B. A. Barnes, deceased, held by Mississippi Valley Trust Company of St. Louis, Missouri, as trustee. Following a hearing on defendant’s (Oral’s) motion to quash the writ of garnishment, the Circuit Court of Butler County found that the second Arkansas judgment, “as to the personal property of Oral J. McDougal, is extinct and invalid for the reason that said ju4gment sought to impress a lien of a ⅛ interest upon the personal property of the said Oral J. McDougal, and if valid, could only be as against such property in which he had an absolute and vested interest,” held that “Oral J. McDougal did not have a vested interest in said bequest at the time of the Arkansas decree,” and quashed the execution and garnishment. Such order being a complete and final disposition of the subject-matter of defendant’s motion to quash, plaintiff’s appeal therefrom properly lies. Section 512.020 RSMo 1949, V.A.M.S.; Flynn v. Janssen, Mo.,
In the last will arid testament of W. B. A. Barnes (hereinafter referred to as the Barnes will), the testator made specific cash bequests to five individual legatees and to cemetery trustees in the second to seventh paragraphs, inclusive, provided in the eighth paragraph for the support of a sister, and then made other specific cash bequests to thirteen nephews, nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces in the ninth to seventeenth paragraphs, inclusive, “to be paid * * * as hereinafter provided” in the eighteenth paragraph, i.e., “ in annual payments of one-tenth (jdo) of the principal amounts bequeathed, together with the income earned by the principal during the year next preceding such payments.” In the nineteenth paragraph of the Barnes will, the testator provided that “if any of the beneficiaries named in *■ * * paragraphs * * * nine to seventeen, both inclusive, should depart this life before my demise, or before the amounts bequeathed to him, her or them, shall have been fully paid, then I direct that-said sum.or sums or the residue thereof, shall pass to his, her or their heirs in .accordance with the laws of descent and. distribution of the state of which such beneficiary or befleficiaries shall be-a resident at the time of his, her of their death.”
After appointing Mississippi Valley Trust Company (hereinafter referred to as Mississippi Valley) as “executor and trustee,” the testator in the twenty-first paragraph gave and bequeathed the residue of his estate to Mississippi Valley “to be handled and administered by it,” stated that, upon final settlernent by and discharge of Mississippi Valley as executor, Mississippi Valley thereafter should “hold all of said estate not theretofore disposed of and administer the same as trustee,” and directed that “at the end of ten years after my demise * * * the rest, residue :ánd remainder of my estate be divided among the beneficiaries named in * * * paragraphs * * * ninth to seventeenth, both inclusive, in proportion to the amounts bequeathed to them, or to their heirs as provided by * * * paragraph nineteen.” In a codicil to the Barnes will, the testator made specific cash bequests of $3,000 each to three great-nephews, of whom Oral was one, payable “in annual payments of one-tenth (Jio) of the principal amounts bequeathed, together with the income earned * * *, exactly as provided in Paragraphs Eighteen and Nineteen of my * * * will,” and also directed that “said beneficiaries * * * shall share in the residue of the estate exactly as provided for beneficiaries and bequests under Paragraphs Nine to Seventeen, both inclusive, as set out in Paragraph Twenty-one of my * * * will.” The cash bequests to beneficiaries named in the ninth to seventeenth paragraphs of the Barnes will and in the codicil thereto aggregated $57,000 so Oral, to whom $3,000 *736 was bequeathed, had an undivided %7 interest in the residuary estate. ■ Ruth seeks one-third of that %7 interest.
The primary issue presented by Oral’s motion to quash the writ of garnishment directed to Mississippi Valley was whether his %7 interest in the residuary trust estate* was vested or contingent, when the second Arkansas judgment was entered on June 7, 1945, giving Ruth “an undivided one-third interest in the personal property” of Oral. An interest or estate is vested when there is an immediate right of present enjoyment, or a present, fixed right of future enjoyment. 3 It is the uncertainty of the right of enjoyment, and not the uncertainty of actual enjoyment, that renders an interest contingent, 4 and an interest does not become contingent merely because it is uncertain whether the beneficiary will come into actual, possession and enjoyment thereof. 5 But, although these broad general principles are' easy of statement, their proper application to the facts of a given case is frequently perplexing. 6 It is a simple matter to reiterate that, in determining whether an interest is vested or contingent, the testator’s intention, as gathered from the four corners of his will, should be followed unless it contravenes public policy or some established rule of law, 7 but again numerous cases vividly portray the practical difficulties encountered in judicial determination of such intention. So it is that, in attempting to ascertain the testator’s intention in the myriad of instances in which there has been no clear, definite and specific statement of intention, the courts have considered many factors and have evolved numerous auxiliary rules Of testamentary construction, in the application of which such diverse results have been reached that some rules seem to have been contrived, as one annotator facetiously expressed it, “like the old negro’s coon trap; to ‘ketch ’em both a-comin’ and a-gwine.’ ” Annotation, L.R.A.1915C, 1012, 1057. 8
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It has been well said that the question as to whether an interest is vested or contingent is one of substance and not of form [annotation,
In the instant case, the Barnes will and codicil plainly directed payment of fixed proportions of the residuary estate to named beneficiaries on a definite date.
12
At the testator’s death, Oral’s right to receive ⅝7 of the residuary estate 10 years later became a present, fixed right of future enjoyment of such' interest. That Oral’á
actual
enjoyment of his legacy depended upon his survival to March 17, 1951, the end of the trust period, did not render his interest contingent.
13
If he had died in the meantime his interest would
not
have reverted to
testator’s
heirs but would have passed to Oral’s heirs “in accordance with-the laws of descent and distribution.”
14
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Testamentary directions, such as those in the Barnes will, pertaining to division and devolution of an estate may and usually do relate to enjoyment and not to vesting of title. Thompson v: Thompson, Mo.,
Although not stated so plainly in his brief, Oral’s theory
now
seems to be that, even if he had a vested interest in the Barnes residuary estate when the second Arkansas judgment was rendered, that judgment purported to operate directly on the title to property in Missouri and thus was void, and that, the second Arkansas judgment having been void, the Missouri judgment was void. Of course, an execution based on a void judgment is a nullity and should be quashed on motion. State ex rel. and to Use of Bair v. Producers Gravel Co.,
The tenor of that judgment indicates that, insofar as it delineated the property rights of the respective parties, it was entered by consent [Gerhart v. Brady,
At the time of entry of the second Arkansas judgment,
legal
title to the Barnes trust property was ili Mississippi Valley, as trustee, but Oral had an
eqn-itable beneficial interest
which had vested at the testator’s death subject to defeasance. Trautz v. Lemp, supra, 46 S.W.2d loc. cit. 142(15). This equitable beneficial interest was intangible personal property [Restatement of Conflict of Laws, Sec. 46, Comment c, pp. 76-77] which, under the ancient doctrine of mobilia sequuntur personam, followed Oral’s person. “The situs of intangible personal property, by fiction of law, is always at the domicile of the owner.” State of California ex rel. Houser v. St. Louis Union Trust Co., Mo.App.,
Nor can we find, as the trial court did, that the second Arkansas judgment “sought to impress a lien” upon Oral’s personal property. A judgm’ent is to be construed like a written instrument, the determinative factor being the intention of the court as gathered from the entire judgment. 30 Am.Jur., Judgments, Sec. 31, p. 834.- It should be construed “in light of the situation of the court, what was before it, and the accompanying circumstances” and “a construction adopted or acquiesced in by the parties will not be changed without strong reason.” 49' C.J.S., Judgment's, § 436 a, pp. 862, 867. Where it is reasonably possible to do so, such construction will be adopted as will give force and effect to 'the judgment, make it serviceable instead óf useless, and support rather than destroy it. Furthermore, in respect to a judgment rendered by a court of general jurisdiction of a sister state, it is presumed, absent any showing to the contrary, not only that the court had jurisdiction both of the parties and of the subject matter [Toler v. Coover,
Oral’s final contention that the ruling of the Supreme Court of Arkansas in the first Arkansas case [McDougal v. McDougal,
■It is the judgment of this court that, the order and judgment of the circuit court quashing execution and garnishment on the Missouri judgment be set aside, and that the cause be remanded with directions to enter an order overruling Oral’s motion to quash and for such further proceedings as are not inconsistent with the views expressed herein.
Notes
. Under the cited statute, either spouse is entitled to a decree of divorce, regardless of fault on his or her part, if both spouses have lived separate and apart for three consecutive years without cohabitation. Brooks v. Brooks,
. Although in Missouri a wife may have permanent alimony only as an incident to a decree of divorce in her favor [Section 452.090 RSMo 1949, V.A.M.S.; Smith v. Smith,
. Trautz v. Lemp,
. Tindall v. Tindall, supra, 66 S.W. loc. cit. 1094; Rodney v. Landeau,
. 69 C.J., Wills, Sec. 1670, p. 591; 31 G.J.S., Estates, § 69, pp. 88, 90; Page on Wills (3rd Ed.), Vol. 3, Sec. 1274, pp. 730, 732. See and compare Harlow v. Benning,
. “Thousands of that learned (legal) profession have essayed the task of drawing a clear, definite, and always recognizable distinction between remainders vested and remainders contingent, but unfortunately, instead of producing what the nonprofessional person would naturally expect, a wéll-beaten path which the wayfaring court, though less than wise, may follow and be safe, a map of the routes so laid out reveals a labyrinth compared, with which a plat of interlacing lines connecting all the stars in the firmament would be a model of simplicity; It may also be admitted that where the courts themselves have sought to blaze their way through a jungle of precedents and mark each turn and twist in the route by guideposts adorned with Latin quotations which everybody .feels in duty bound to admire and nobody tries to read, they have, as a rule, found much difficulty in leaving a clear highway which others can follow with any assurance of finding their way home again.” Dowd v. Scally, Iowa,
. Housman v. Lewellen,
. Eor excellent discussions of such factors and rules, see the comprehensive annotations in L.R.A.1918E, 1097 and
. McElroy v. Fluker, Mo.,
. Miller v. Kriner, Mo.,
. Chew v. Keller, supra, 13 S.W. loc. cit. 396; 57 Am.Tur., Wills, Sec. 1218, p. 803; Page on Wills (3rd Ed.), Vol. 3, Sec. 1259, pp. 689, 693-694; Ibid., Sec. 1271, pp. 726-727.
. The instant situation is not to be confused with cases where, as was pointed out in Gardner v. Vanlandingham, supra, 69 S.W.2d loc. cit. 951, “particular language under consideration has been held to indicate an intention that the membership of the Glass, to whom property was ultimately to go, should be determined at the death of the life tenant rather than at the death of the testator.”
. Indefeasibility is not an essential characteristic of a vested interest. 69 C.J., Wills, Sec. 1671, p.'593. See also authorities cited in footnote 5, supra.
. In Gardner v. Vanlandingham, supra, 69 S.W.2d loc. cit. 951, a provision that “ ‘the share they (my heirs) would have
received
if living shall descend to their issue’ ” was believed to have implied “a
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vested interest, the enjoyment of which was yet to be received.” For other cases where interests under wills containing so-called substitutional provisions have been held vested, see Grannemann v. Grannemann, Mo., 210 S.W.24 105; Garrett v. Damron, supra; Deacon v. St. Louis Union Trust Co.,
. Deacon v. St. Louis Union Trust Co., supra, 197 S.W. loc. cit. 266(7); Trautz v. Lemp, supra, 46 S.W.2d loc cit. 142; Gardner v. Vanlandingham, supra, 69 S.W.2d loc. cit. 951-952(10); Page on Wills (3rd Ed.),. Vol. 3, Sec. 1266, p. 708; Ibid., Sec. 1272, p. 727; annotation,
. Restatement of Law of Trusts, Sec. 130 (a), p. 331. The term “personal property” includes all property which is not real property. Ibid., Sec. 130, Comment b, p. 331; 73 C.J.S., Property, § 8 a, p. 170.
.“A judgment creates a new right in the judgment plaintiff and imposes a new duty on the judgment defendant, independent of the cause of action alleged in the suit in which the judgment was given. Suit on a judgment is a suit on this new right, not on the old cause of action; and it is immaterial whether a cause of action did or did not exist before judgment.” Restatement of Conflict of Laws, Section 431, Comment a, p. 514.
. “‘(T)he want of jurisdiction on the part of a ' court of general powers to render judgment must be pleaded by the defendant in an action upon the judgment, unless the defect » * * affirmatively appears from the record.’ ” Irwin v. Rawling, Mo.App.,
. Luedde v. Luedde,
. Consult also Minor v. Cardwell,
